Unveiling Secrets: A New Path for Harry Potter

Pansy woke to Harry softly petting her hair. Her face was pressed into the crook of his neck.

"That feels nice," she murmured.

"Sorry if I woke you," he replied. "I needed to get some feeling back in my hand; I woke up with pins and needles."

"It's alright. What time is it?"

"Almost ten."

"We slept through breakfast."

"It was worth it. We both needed some rest after last night, don't you think? Besides, you're underestimating Dobby. We'll never sleep through any meal unless we want to as long as we've got him on our side."

"Master Harry calls for Dobby?" Sure enough, the elf appeared with two floating trays of food.

"See?" Harry snickered.

"Dobby, you're the best," Pansy said. As Harry sat up and took his breakfast, the elf gave her a hilariously exaggerated wink. Dobby might be a bit over the top, but only Harry would she ever trust as much as him.

"Yeah, thanks Dobby."

"Master Harry and miss Pansy are most welcome."

He disappeared with the trademark pop as they began to eat. They were both very hungry. Last night had taken a lot out of them, and the extra sleep wasn't enough to fully refresh them yet. Once Harry was finishing up with his toast, he turned to her.

"I wanted to thank you for last night. What was that song?"

"It's called A la clair fontane. It's a lullaby my mother used to sing to me when I was little."

"What side of her family was French?"

"Her mother. She met my grandfather during the war with Grindelwald when she was just a girl. He rescued her from some muggle soldiers during an attack on the town they lived in. It was all very romantic, at least the way she liked to tell it."

"What happened to her?"

"She got an illness when I was about six or seven. It was some muggle thing, I don't remember what exactly. My father was an absolute bastard about it, as you can probably imagine. My mother and I were only able to visit her at St. Mungo's when he left on business trips."

"I'm sorry."

"Thanks, Harry." She had finished her own meal by now, and they settled back onto the pillows as she curled up against Harry. He was idly stroking her side with one hand. He seemed to do that almost automatically, and it never failed to make her feel better.

"What about your grandfather?"

"He was much older than her. His first wife had been killed some time during the 1930s. A few years after the war, grandmother came to England and sought him out. He was her chevalier, and she had her heart set on him."

"Chevalier?" he asked.

"Her knight in shining armor. Her hero. She was still in her teens when they married; grandfather was in his forties. They were very much in love, at least from everything she told me when I was young."

"Maybe that's where you get your romantic side from," he teased.

"Maybe. Certainly not from the other side of the family.

"Anyway, grandfather always was the sort who fought when the need arose. He joined the hit wizards during the early seventies. They needed every capable wand they could get once the Dark Lord's forces started killing people. He was still pretty good too, even in his late sixties. He got an Order of Merlin, third class, for helping to save a family of four. He was wounded in the attack, but he also captured a Death Eater.

"But his luck didn't hold up, and eventually he was killed in a battle. He must have rolled over in his grave when my parents got married."

"I can see that. I'm sorry you never got to know him."

"Thanks."

"You have a nice voice. Last night... when you sang me to sleep, that-" Harry stammered then paused.

"I think that's one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me."

"I've done a few other nice things for you, too," she giggled, trying to lighten the mood.

"I know, and I appreciate all of them, but last night was special. So, thank you."

She wanted to tell him that he didn't have to thank her just for loving him. But she understood. Harry had been so unloved for so long that he still had these scars that hadn't faded yet. It made her all the more convinced of her need for vengeance. For Harry's sake. She wanted him to see exactly what lengths she would go to for him.

But she just let them sink into a comfortable silence as they drifted back to sleep.

The next week passed quickly. Hermione groveled sufficiently enough for Harry to forgive her, but she now definitely knew not to say anything about Pansy's family.

Pansy wasn't nearly as quick to forgive, but then, she didn't really like Granger in the first place.

The Easter holiday was approaching when Ron once again got into a confrontation with Harry.

It was the last class of the day, Charms, and the unflappable professor Flitwick was doing his best to keep the class from falling apart as the lesson on the Cheering Charm was having all sorts of unintended consequences.

Even trying to reign in his power as much as possible, when Harry cast it on Pansy she became more giggly than even Lavender on her best day. He had to fire a quick Finite at her before the hug she gave him turned into something else.

Needless to say, the other students were very amused to see the normally cool and snarky girl acting so very differently.

Pansy's casting against Harry also behaved unusually. He was cheered all right, but not in a way that was at all appropriate for a class room setting.

It took all his willpower to keep himself from snogging her, but he was sure that she felt his arousal poking her through their robes.

There was no way she would let him live this down once she got him alone.

After that, they traded partners. Harry worked with Hermione while Pansy worked with Neville.

That went about as well as you can imagine. Neville was so intimidated by Pansy that he completely missed every single time he tried to cast the spell at her. Finally, they swapped again and, with Harry's help, Neville was able to get the spell down successfully just before the end of the day.

Ron was working with a Hufflepuff that Harry didn't recognize, and he was also failing that day spectacularly. When he cast the spell, it certainly connected, but the effect seemed to cause anger instead. Harry wondered if Ron's belligerent attitude had caused the intent of the spell to backfire in that way.

The Hufflepuff boy tried to start a fight with Ron, which Flitwick was thankfully quick enough to counter before they came to blows. No matter how much the professor worked with him nor how many times he cast it, Ron just could not get the hang of the Cheering Charm.

That would have been bad enough to put Harry's old friend in a sour mood.

The fact that Hermione was rather effortlessly casting the spell on Harry made things worse. But it all came to a head with the fact that the cheered Harry kept laughing at Ron's failing attempts.

He took a swing at Harry.

It didn't connect, as Harry had years of practice dodging bullies much bigger and meaner than Ron, but it still led to the two of them being sent to professor McGonagall's office after dinner.

"Come in and sit down, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley."

The stern old Scot had clearly been upset all throughout dinner. That professor Flitwick had sat next to her whispering in her ear, which led to her staring angrily at Harry and Ron, well, it was obvious where this was going.

"I understand that you two decided to make quite the spectacle in your Charms class today. Would you like to try to explain yourselves?"

"He was laughing at me," Ron answered.

"From what I was told, much of the class was laughing today, Mr. Weasley. That is a possible consequence of the Cheering Charm. What about Mr. Potter laughing gives you the idea that you have the right to resort to fisticuffs like a hoodlum?"

Ron flushed red but only muttered in response.

"What was that, Mr. Weasley?"

"I said, he's been having a go at me for months now. First he didn't care about Hermione's cat killing Scabbers. Then he yelled at me just because he started hanging around Looney Lovegood."

"Miss Lovegood's name is Luna, and I will not tolerate one of my Gryffindors resorting to bullying, especially not a younger student."

"But she's a weirdo!"

"Mr. Weasley, that is enough! No matter what you may think of the girl, I will not hear you calling her any more names. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Now then, Mr. Potter, do you have anything to say about today's events?"

"No, professor."

"Nothing at all?" she prodded.

"I believe professor Flitwick would have given you an accurate account of things. We were practicing the Cheering Charm. Hermione had cast it on me. I was in a pleasant mood. Ron was struggling to get the spell correct, and I laughed at him."

"See! Even now, he's making fun of me!"

"Mr. Potter, must you try to aggravate Mr. Weasley?"

"That was not my intent, I was merely confirming what happened today. I'm not proud of it. Ron used to be one of my best friends."

"But not any more?"

"I believe you heard our argument a couple of weeks ago, professor McGonagall," Harry answered with a cheeky grin. "I've had a lot to deal with this year. As long as there are people out there trying to kill me, trying to renew a friendship with Ron cannot be my priority."

"Oh, but you have plenty of time to make friends with Slytherins and people like Looney," Ron interrupted.

"Mr. Weasley, that is ten points and a detention. What did I just tell you about not calling people names?"

"Sorry, professor," he mumbled.

"Do you have anything else to say, Mr. Potter?"

"No, professor."

"You two are not making this easy for me. Mr. Weasley, did you not pay attention to the headmaster's speech about life debts? Let me remind you, you owe Mr. Potter your life because of the dementor attack at the quidditch match. Trying to attack him, no matter your reason, could lead to all sorts of pain on your account. Merlin knows what would have happened if you had been foolish enough to raise your wand against him. You must learn to control your temper. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am." It wasn't a very enthusiastic answer, but Ron was at least looking her in the eye.

"As for you, Mr. Potter, please try not to provoke your classmates in the future. We do not need any more violence in this school. Understood?"

"I understand, professor McGonagall."

"Is there any chance the two of you can work something out between yourselves?"

Ron's expression made it clear to Harry that there was no he would make any such attempt, at least not without Harry taking a first step.

"I am sorry about your rat's death, Ron."

"Then why did you take Hermione's side?"

Harry took a deep breath. He had a feeling this wasn't going to work, but he would not lie just to spare Ron's feelings. Especially not when he was being such a jerk.

"I stood up for Hermione because you were attacking her and not taking any responsibility for your own actions. Just like always. You have been rude, demeaning, and insulting to her pretty much since we met. Even when the troll attacked. Hermione never would have been in that bathroom if not for you picking on her."

"What do you mean, Mr. Potter?"

Oh, yes. Professor McGonagall never did hear the truth about that night. Well...

"The truth is that Hermione had spent most of the day crying in the bathroom because Ron called her a friendless know-it-all after she had the gall to try to help him learn to properly cast the levitation spell in Charms class. I had to drag him along to find her when Quirrell let the troll in because Hermione had no idea what was going on."

"I see. Why did miss Granger not tell the truth?"

"I assume she was embarrassed. Or maybe she just wanted to take the blame for us since we came to her rescue. She never explained it to me, and I never asked."

"Very well. Do you have anything else to say for yourself, Mr. Weasley?"

When Harry looked over at Ron, he saw that he was once again beet red as he shook his head no. Ron always was a hot head. Harry had no expectation that Ron was going to think any of this through tonight. And even if he did see that some of his actions might be his fault, Harry would not waste any time waiting for an apology that looked now more likely to never come.

"Mr. Potter, you are excused. Mr. Weasley, we have more to speak of, including assigning your detention."

Harry got out of there as fast as he could without running. He was sick and tired of Ron's crap and felt more than a little relieved that he hadn't gotten a punishment of his own just for helping to cause Ron's bad behavior.

"Harry, I need to ask you for a couple of favors."

It was Friday night, and the Easter break had arrived. He had a few assignments to catch up on, as well as a meeting that he wasn't looking forward to, but any of that would be set aside at the drop of a hat for whatever Pansy would ask. She had been in the spare bedroom working on some project that she didn't want him to know about.

"Okay."

"First, I need a vial of your blood."

"Ooh, is this going to be another fun ritual?" Harry smiled up at her from his seat on the couch but she did not look nearly as playful as he had hoped.

"Not that type of ritual, no."

"Aw. Fine, do you have a vial handy?"

"Yes." She handed him a small knife and vial, and Harry immediately gave her the ingredient she needed. She noticed that he didn't even wince at the cut, and it was not the first time that she worried about his lack of reaction to pain.

"I'm glad that you trust me so much."

"Of course I do."

"Good, because the next thing, well..."

"What is it? Pansy, you should know I'll do pretty much anything for you."

"I need to borrow your ring."

"My ring?"

"Yes, the Potter family ring." Harry looked at her, puzzled for a second, before slipping the ring off his finger and handing it over.

"Be careful with that."

"I won't lose it, Harry."

"That's not what I mean, and I think you know it. There is some sort of magic in the ring itself, as we both know after seeing what happened to Draco. You may be a part of House Potter now, but we don't know however that magic might affect you. So, be careful. Or at least let Dobby watch over you with whatever your secret is."

"I will. Thank you, Harry, for trusting me."

"Always." He smiled and she walked back to the bedroom where she and Dobby had everything else already prepared. She looked back at Harry as he started reading one of his books on runic magic. She grinned to herself- Harry was way ahead in that class, but she knew he would always choose the things that held his interest over completing a Potions essay unless she was there to force him to finish it off.

She closed the door behind her and cast a silencing spell.

"Miss Pansy doesn't need to keep all of this from master Harry."

"Harry doesn't need to know any of this, Dobby. I'll tell him about it some day, if it matters. But I have the blood and the ring, now we can complete the ritual."

"Be careful miss Pansy. Dobby will get master Harry if miss hurts herself."

"Just let me get this done, Dobby."

Pansy slid the ring on. She didn't notice, but she put it on her left ring finger, and Dobby's eyes lit up as he saw this. She took the vile of blood and poured out a few drops over the tibia that was already prepared in the large runic circle. While Harry may have been becoming more of an expert, she had been learning runes as well, and she had made sure to go over this ritual a dozen times before she began.

The sapphire on the Potter ring was once again glowing, but this time the light was a much darker blue that bathed the room.

Dobby watched over the mistress and waited patiently.

It was done.

"Mistress Pansy? Wake up. Please, mistress."

Dobby paced back and forth over her body. All his elf magic told him she was fine, but Dobby was still worried. She had used powerful magic. The ring had helped, but what should he do now? Mistress would want the secret to be kept from master Harry. Dobby finally shuffled sideways over towards the door, all the while keeping one eye on the sleeping girl.

Dobby opened the door and saw the fire was down to only embers. He quickly popped over to the couch and saw master Harry was asleep on the couch. Then he popped right back to the side of the mistress. Mistress Pansy would want Dobby to do things her way, so he floated her body across the way to the other bedroom. He closed and locked the spare room behind him.

Mistress would just have to finish her other work later.

Once Dobby got her settled in bed, he went back to master Harry.

"Master Harry sir needs to wake up," he said as he gently prodded Harry awake.

"What time is it, Dobby?" Harry asked as he blinked in the low lit room.

"Late, master Harry sir. Mistress Pansy is asleep and needs master Harry."

"Where is she?" The great Harry Potter sir leapt to his feet and grabbed his wand. Such acts always brought pride to the house-elf's heart. Master Harry was the best.

"Dobby has put mistress Pansy to bed, but mistress cannot wake sir."

"Let me see," Harry said as he was already striding into the bedroom. "What happened?"

"Mistress used powerful magic, and Dobby thinks that mistress needs much rest now."

Harry gingerly sat next to her on the edge of the bed and felt her forehead. She was a normal temperature, neither clammy nor boiling from a fever, so that was at least a good sign. She wasn't sweaty either, so physical exertion didn't seem like a problem.

"So, you think Pansy just needs to rest. Is that right, Dobby?"

"Yes, master Harry sir."

"Is there anything I can do to help her?"

"Put the ring back on master Harry, sir."

"Okay," Harry said as he slipped the ring off Pansy's finger and back onto his own. There was a dim flicker of light as it transferred from Pansy to Harry. "Now what?"

Dobby hopped up onto the bed and leaned down over miss Pansy. He placed master Harry's hands over miss Pansy's and his own atop them all.

"Master Harry must tell the magic to flow into miss Pansy."

"Alright." Master Harry closed his eyes and concentrated. Dobby could feel the magic taking form. It was being pulled from Dobby as well, but master Harry did not need to worry about that. He gripped the hands of both master and miss and held on tight.

There was a draining feeling for Dobby as power seemed to suck in from all around the room for several minutes before miss Pansy's eyes fluttered open.

"Harry?" she moaned weakly.

"I'm here sweetheart. Are you okay?"

"Just tired. Dobby, did everything work?"

"The magic was done, miss Pansy."

"Good," she said with a yawn.

"Are you two going to tell me what happened?"

"Not yet, Harry. I'll be alright, I just need to rest."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. It's just like the Patronus was when we were learning it. I overdid it and now I'm exhausted."

"Alright. Then get some sleep, my love."

She gave him a small smile as Harry leaned over and kissed her. Within seconds, Pansy had fallen back asleep.

Dobby saw master Harry looking over at him. The house-elf didn't know it, but he looked more worn out than Harry had ever seen him.

"Why don't you get some rest too, Dobby? We should probably all get a lot of sleep tonight."

"Good night, master Harry."

"Good night, Dobby."

Dobby went back to the main room and cast several protective spells over master Harry's quarters. No one would get in here now. Not without breaking Dobby's alarms, which should wake him and master Harry, no matter how tired they might be. If the bad old wizard Black tried to break in tonight, magic would make him hurt.

Harry heard Dobby muttering something about protecting miss Pansy and hurting anyone that would try to interfere from the other room. It brought a smile to his face. Dobby had become obsessive about protecting his family, and Harry would never take him for granted.

He took off his shirt and socks. It was a warm enough night, and he tended to prefer the shared body heat from sleeping with Pansy over just adding more layers. He also liked getting as much skin to skin contact as he could with her.

Touching her- any part of her- always soothed him. He hadn't had a nightmare in months. There had been a couple that he now chalked up to exposure from the dementors, but even those were brief. Pansy could be a heavy sleeper, and both times that he had woken he just curled up a bit closer with her and slipped back to sleep.

Harry slid under the covers next to her. He listened carefully to her breathing for several minutes before eventually that rhythm led him to nod off.

Pansy slept almost the entire Saturday. She woke briefly in the early afternoon and Harry helped her to eat about half of her breakfast before she passed out.

For the short periods of time that Harry left their quarters that day, he made sure Dobby was watching over Pansy.

Even then, Harry found it hard to be sociable or get anything else done.

Later, Harry had Dobby fetch a nutrient potion, and he made sure she swallowed it when she woke briefly that evening.

Pansy was so tired and weak that Harry had to help her to the bathroom. It worried him to no end, but she swore that she only felt tired. Dobby confirmed that she should only need more rest.

Harry wasn't convinced though, so he had Dobby "borrow" several of Madam Pomfrey's books, and Harry cast every diagnostic spell he could find, trying to make sure there wasn't anything else wrong with Pansy.

It took him until well after midnight, but eventually Harry accepted that they must be right and joined Pansy in bed. He fell asleep immediately.

Sunday, Pansy was able to wake more easily and she finished her whole breakfast and even managed to take a shower and do a bit of homework before needing a nap.

Harry had to leave her to Dobby's care though, as he had to head to Hogsmeade.

Waiting for him at the Three Broomsticks Inn was Malcolm Parkinson. Pansy's great uncle.

He didn't look much like her. While Pansy was on the petite side, with pale skin and jet black hair, Malcolm Parkinson was tall and muscular, with light brown hair and tan skin that suggested years spent working outside. From everything she had told him, Harry didn't expect him to be a threat, but he was taking no chances. They would meet in a public place, and Harry kept his wand at the ready.

The letter that had requested this meeting seemed friendly enough, but Harry was paranoid. His nephew had been a Death Eater.

The older man stood as Harry entered the inn and walked over to meet him.

"Mr. Potter, thank you for meeting me today," he said as he held out his hand, which Harry shook before sitting down opposite him.

"You're welcome, Mr. Parkinson."

"Can I offer you something to drink?"

"No thank you. I ate not long ago."

"I had hoped you would have brought my niece along with you."

"Pansy is my responsibility, and I take that responsibility very seriously. The last male Parkinson I knew threatened her, and we both know how that turned out. Before I would let you see her, I had to make sure you wouldn't pose any danger to her."

"Yes, that's understandable. My nephew was never the most pleasant man. I imagine he wouldn't have been a very good father, either. In a way, I'm glad you took charge of Pansy. Who knows what may have happened to her if she had gone back home for the holidays.

"I think you should know that I have been in correspondence with a few people, trying to learn what I could of you, and specifically how you treated her. She is the only family I have left. From what I've heard, the two of you seem close, although there is a fair amount of gossip about just how close."

"There haven't been many people in either of our situations recently at Hogwarts. I'm curious where you've heard this gossip from."

"I have a couple of friends on the staff. After what happened with Edmund, I wanted to find out everything I could. From all reports, you have taken good care of Pansy, and for that I am grateful."

"Your gratitude is unnecessary, Mr. Parkinson. What I have done has been for her sake, no one else's."

"Call me Malcolm, please. I'd like to hope that we can be friends. Or at least friendly acquaintances."

"Alright, Malcolm. Then tell me why I should let you have contact with Pansy."

"That's a fair enough request I suppose. I don't know how much of our family history she's told you about me."

"She told me you weren't particularly close. She said she hadn't seen you since before she started Hogwarts."

"That's true, sadly. I was never close with my nephew, and in the more recent years, that distance grew worse.

"You see, I had a family of my own once. My son, Richard, was a contemporary of your parents. He was killed when he was fifteen. It was a Death Eater attack. He wasn't a target, just someone in the wrong place, at the wrong time. A bystander. It didn't matter that he was a pureblood. It didn't matter that he was a student. Nothing mattered to those animals. They killed anyone who got in their way. I've long hated the type of people who bragged about how the Dark Lord had the right idea, as if he really was a champion of the pureblood cause," Malcom said with contempt.

"He wasn't even a pureblood," Harry interjected.

"What?"

"His real name was Tom Riddle. He was a half-blood. His father was a muggle. You can look him up; he was Head Boy back in the 1940s."

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised," Malcolm said with a look of disgust. "I always thought they were just a bunch of psychopaths. By the time my son was killed, I knew that my nephew was involved. I didn't know for certain that he was a Death Eater, not that I'm surprised now that that's been revealed, but he was always the type that supported that way of thinking. Disliking muggles. Thinking that he was better than those of 'lesser birth' as he would call them. I'm not sure where he got that nonsense from. My brother certainly never taught him anything like that."

"From what I've learned, the Parkinsons have been purebloods going back many generations."

"Yes, but not because of any prejudice. I had an aunt who was a half-blood. My wife was too; well, depending on who you ask."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, there are different opinions on what counts as a half-bood. The classic definition would be having one magical parent and one muggle parent. But then certain snobby types like to call someone like you, with a muggle born mother and a pureblood father, a half-blood as well."

"The goblins disagree with that definition," Harry added.

"True, because as they see it, you have magic from both sides of your family tree. The most radical out there like to argue about how many generations you have to go back having all magical ancestors. But the traditional view is that if all four of your grandparents are magical, then you count as a pureblood."

"So, in that regard, they would view me still as a half-blood, but my children could potentially be seen as purebloods."

"Correct. My wife was like that. Two of her grandparents were what is usually referred to as half-bloods. She had a muggle great grandmother on one side, and a muggle born great grandfather on the other side. Not that it ever mattered to me. I fell in love with a woman, not her family tree.

"Then I lost her as well," Malcolm sighed, as he closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Harry said quietly.

"Thank you. It was a long time ago. Some would say she died of a broken heart. She never fully got over the loss of our son. Of course, I don't suppose I have either. How should a parent ever truly be able to move on after the loss of a child?

"Anyway, she died more than a decade ago. As a man who had lost both his wife and child, it was hard trying to be around the family I did have left. Not to mention how disagreeable my nephew could be. The last few months, I've wondered- did he know who killed my son? Hell, maybe he was even there."

"So, it was hard for you to be around Pansy because of her father and your own losses," Harry said.

"Yes. I admit it's not the best of excuses, but it's the truth. But now, she's all the family I have left, and I would like to try to make up for that."

"I see. The question is whether or not I can trust you. Taking care of Pansy is my job."

"Most people would say that, as a servant of House Potter, it's her job to take care of you."

Harry took a moment to think before responding.

"The muggle world has servants too, at least for the wealthy. It has long been known that while a servant may do a lot to care for the house and family they work for, the smart lords and ladies were the ones who looked after their servants as well. From what I've seen and heard of house-elves, not many wizards and witches have learned that lesson."

"It's reassuring to hear you say that. If it will make you feel better, you would be welcome to join us. I just want a chance to see her and talk to her again. It has been much too long, and I want to try to be supportive, especially as she has lost her parents."

"I would have insisted on being there anyway," Harry answered confidently. "Like I said, I take my responsibility for Pansy very seriously. But I do appreciate your interest in her and desire to be supportive. I will pass this along to Pansy."

"Is there any chance we could meet before the holiday ends?"

Harry noted the hopeful expression, but more so the sincerity behind it. He was starting to like Malcolm Parkinson. He just hoped his instincts were right. His paranoia was usually stronger around most adults.

"It is possible," Harry replied. "We both have work we must get done during the break, as I'm sure you can understand. Assuming she isn't too busy and feels up to a meeting, I will owl you."

"Thank you, Mr. Potter," Malcolm said as he shook Harry's hand again. "My weekends are pretty much always free. Give Pansy my best wishes."

"I will."

Harry stood and bid Malcolm Parkinson good day. He certainly seemed like someone that honestly wanted to help Pansy.

But if he ever did anything to hurt her, Harry would make him beg for death.

By the next day, Pansy was feeling almost back to normal. Harry had let her use Legilimency to see the entire conversation with Malcolm, and she agreed with Harry's assessment that it seemed like a genuine desire to reach out to his last remaining family. They made a tentative decision to arrange a visit, but Pansy wanted to wait a bit longer. She had more work to do, although she still wasn't telling Harry anything more about her secret project.

Whatever it was though, she let Harry know that he was going to need to spend much of Friday without her. Therefore, he made plans to spend the day with Hermione. The weather was starting to get pretty nice, so Harry decided to drag her out of the castle (and the library) and get his friend to enjoy some fresh air, even if he had a feeling she would bring a stack of books to study.

Dobby helped put together a picnic lunch, but Harry wasn't going to have any further help from his little friend, as he had made Dobby promise to keep an eye on Pansy and make sure she was safe with whatever she was doing. Her bout with exhaustion was several days past now and Pansy didn't seem to have any lingering effects. Harry was still worried over her, though, but when she asked to borrow his invisibility cloak for the day, he actually felt relieved.

Pansy was more careful than Harry about most things, and if she was taking that sort of precaution, then he hoped that she and Dobby would have everything well in hand.

Thursday night, Pansy waited for Harry to fall asleep. She was a bit tired herself, but wearing Harry out was always fun. Thankfully, Dobby was going to do the heavy lifting that night.

The two of them went into the spare bedroom and gathered everything they needed.

Dobby's first job was to make sure the coast was clear and the filthy muggle scum were asleep and were going to stay that way.

They were lucky she couldn't use magic there without drawing unwanted attention.

By the time she arrived at Privet Drive, she had done several meditative exercises in an effort to stay calm. She hoped Harry had given her enough blood for all she wanted to accomplish.

The fat muggle's fatter sister was there visiting as well. Dobby had to use magic to make sure the nasty little dog would stay asleep. But this would be even better, Pansy thought with a wicked grin.

The next morning would have come far too soon for her tastes, but Harry was kind enough to let her sleep in. He made sure that she had a big breakfast and gave her a kiss for good luck before she left.

He then made his way out of his quarters and headed for the library. It would be the most obvious place to start his search for Hermione.

Harry was glad that Dobby had taught him a few stasis spells. A general purpose one would have done well enough, but using one to keep food warm and a second to keep beverages chilled worked out even better.

Sure enough, Hermione was in the library with a table full of parchments and books spread out everywhere. He sighed loudly enough to get her attention.

His threat to carry her out of there if she didn't willingly come with him wasn't enough to get her moving, but when Harry suggested that he would make such a scene as to get them both thrown out of the library, she hastened to gather up everything.

It was just as well. Between the picnic basket, his notebook and two books on runes, Harry had his hands full.

The day was sunny and warm, so Harry led them to a nice shady spot.

Many miles away, Pansy was in a shady spot of her own. She had a great vantage point for the spectacle. Privet Drive would never be the same.

"Master Harry sir," the elf appeared without a pop, suggesting to Harry that he was wanting to be sneaky as he approached. When Harry looked up, he saw Dobby actually taking off the invisibility cloak, which the elf then handed over.

"What is it, Dobby?"

"Miss Pansy has finished her work and come back."

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes."

"Then why did you risk being spotted coming here?"

"Dobby made sure that miss Hermione would not notice."

Harry looked over at his friend, and sure enough, she was asleep with her face in a book. It brought a smile to his face.

"Good work. Well, as long as Pansy's okay, why don't you tell her that I'll be in soon? I'll wake Hermione up after you leave. The sun's starting to get a bit low anyway."

"Yes, master Harry."

"Oh, and Dobby- thank you for looking after Pansy."

"Dobby will always take care of his family."

He left with a pop. Harry was very thankful for Dobby having come into his life. Even the night spent regrowing bones was worth it. The elf had done so much for both Pansy and himself, and they would be much less safe without him.

He looked back over at Hermione. She was slumped in a slightly uncomfortable looking position and snoring softly.

"Hermione," he said quietly as he patted her shoulder. It wasn't enough though; Dobby's spell must have been a bit more powerful. He called her name again and lifted her up to a sitting position.

"Wha?" she asked groggily.

"You must have fallen asleep. I did warn you about needing to use the time turner to make sure you were getting enough rest, you know," he teased.

"I have been, Harry."

"Maybe the book wasn't engrossing enough then?"

Hermione looked affronted. You would have thought he just insulted her mother.

"Come on, it's getting late. You'll need to put all your things away before dinner time."

"Alright," she answered as Harry helped her gather her books. "Thanks for this afternoon, Harry. You were right, getting some fresh air was... well, refreshing."

"Mission accomplished."

As they made their way inside the castle, Harry noticed the stares he was getting from many of the students. They had been very mixed this year. He was a hero for stopping the dementors, but he was also frightening to them after they had seen what happened to the Malfoys. Even more intimidating now that the students owed him life debts and they knew exactly how dangerous those debts could be.

That was not to mention the looks he got from many of the girls. Harry wasn't a fool; he knew that he would be seen as a catch for his fame if nothing else. But this year, he had been much more aware of the female attention. Of course, now it no longer mattered to him, other than a vague annoyance occasionally. Like the persistence of Kathryn Nott.

He stopped at a bathroom on the trip up to the Gryffindor tower and told Hermione he would meet her later. After using the facilities, he slipped on his cloak. The stares didn't always bother him but he wasn't in the mood. He'd had a nice relaxing day with Hermione and just wanted to get back to Pansy without dealing with any nonsense.

Once he was near his destination though, he saw Parvati and Lavender pulling Hermione aside and into an empty classroom.

Harry slipped in behind them.

"Do you not understand how lucky you are, Hermione?" Parvati looked fairly angry for once.

"What are you talking about?"

"Aren't you supposed to be the smart one?" Lavender asked. "You had Harry bloody Potter take you out for a picnic today. Just the two of you."

"I would give anything, anything to have been in your place today," Parvati said. "You don't even seem to care."

"Harry just wanted me to not be stuck inside all day. It wasn't anything else."

"I'll bet he even went to the library to drag you outside," Lavender snorted when Hermione's blush revealed she was correct. "If it wasn't anything else, then you're more of a fool than I thought. No one else has a better shot at getting him interested than you, and you're too stupid to try for him. What is wrong with you?"

"Harry's just a friend."

"Do you like someone else?" Parvati asked.

Hermione's indignant sputters were all the answer they needed before pressing on.

"Well, that's good I suppose," Lavender said with a smirk. "One less rival to deal with."

"I'll make you a deal, Hermione," Parvati offered. "I'll help you attract whatever boy you want if you'll help me figure out how to get Harry's attention."

"I don't know. Harry's never really talked about anything like that with me."

"Really? He's never mentioned all the marriage offers?" Parvati asked.

"Marriage offers?" Hermione squeaked out.

"Sure. You must be smart enough to realize how many families would love to have the famous boy-who-lived join them," Lavender said, and Harry saw just how much she was enjoying getting digs in at Hermione's intelligence. He started to realize just how badly Hermione had offended her peers with her constant showing off in class. He'd have to remember to try to talk to her about easing up a bit.

"But, Harry's just thirteen," Hermione argued.

"Betrothals can be arranged much earlier than that," Parvati countered.

"Do you have one then?"

"Both our families sent betrothal offers years ago," Lavender replied.

"Really?"

"Of course," Parvati said. "He destroyed one of the worst Dark Lords ever and somehow became the only survivor of the killing curse."

"You probably need to learn some more about the magical world. Arranged marriage is still fairly common," Lavender said.

"Especially in my parents' culture," Parvati added.

"Oh." Hermione looked thoughtful for a moment. "Oh, I see. That's why you're so interested in Harry. You don't want to get arranged with someone else."

"Can you think of anyone better than Harry?" Parvati responded. "He's handsome, powerful, sweet, charming-"

"And rich, famous, handsome," Lavender continued.

"She already said handsome," Hermione snorted.

"Anyway, the offer stands, Hermione. I'll help you with any other guys. Just help me with Harry." Harry noticed the intense look on Parvati's face. He had a feeling she was going to be just as persistent as the Notts.

"I'll have to think about it. I don't want to go behind Harry's back."

"Fair enough. Let me know when you decide."

Harry waited for the girls to leave and thought about how he was going to have to deal with this new complication.

"What the hell is this?"

Pansy looked furious as she waved a piece of parchment in her hand. It was not the welcome Harry expected when he got back to their quarters.

"I don't know," he started to answer. "Is it another betrothal offer?"

"Another? How many do you have?"

"I don't know. I haven't counted them. A lot?"

"And you never mentioned them to me, why?"

"Because they don't matter. There's only one girl for me. I've tried to make that pretty damn clear to you.

"And most of them were sent years ago. Families wanting to get a piece of the boy-who-lived. I've had Sam sending out a form letter in response. 'House Potter will be focusing on education while at Hogwarts, and betrothal offers will be considered at an unspecified later date.' It gives us plenty of time to not have to worry about dealing with them."

"That's... actually pretty good, Harry."

"Well, I tried to think about how you would want me to act. No need to offend people yet, especially girls that I'll have to be around for years to come."

"Alright, well that explains some of it. And you did get an offer from the Notts."

"Thank god," Harry sighed. "Now maybe she'll back off."

Pansy snorted, and Harry hoped that he was in the clear.

"But that's not what this is."

"Oh, um, what is it?"

"A marriage contract."

"Oh. That."

"Yes, that. When were you going to tell me about it?"

"It doesn't matter either."

"Harry! Of course it matters."

"Pansy, calm down sweetheart. You must not have read the whole thing. It's incredibly easy for me to get out of," he answered.

"It is?"

"Yes. There's not even any penalties or anything. I just have to officially state that I don't want the contract and it will be nullified."

"But... but that doesn't make any sense."

"I've thought about it a bit, and I think I can explain."

"Alright."

"Imagine back to 1981. Riddle and his Death Eaters seem unstoppable. Entire families are being killed. You have a young child and are worried about what could happen if that child becomes an orphan. This is made even worse the more deaths you see. Now imagine what would happen to your family line if you die and your child is left behind in a world full of families like the Malfoys."

"So, it was just a form of protection?"

"I think so. I mean, my family was in hiding when my parents were killed. And, as for the girl, it turns out several members of her family were killed back then."

"But, she's..."

"She's what?" Harry asked. "A girl who has never spoken to me in three years at school together?"

"She's... you know... developed."

Harry raised a questioning eyebrow, then laughed when Pansy mimed having an enormous bosom.

"I really can't believe how jealous you still get sometimes. How often have you made fun of the goofy look I get on my face when I stare at your boobs?"

"Only every time I feel like teasing you," she answered and Harry was relieved to hear the tension seeming to leave her tone.

"Then that should tell you that I'm very happy with the breasts already at my disposal."

"Oh, am I at your disposal? Is that how you see me?"

"I hope so. I'm always at your disposal." Harry smiled and took the parchment from her, setting it down behind him. "You should know how much I love you by now. If you need me to prove it further, just tell me what you want and I'll do it."

"Well, I'm sure I can think of a few things," Pansy said with a smirk. "To start, why don't you take me to the bath? I could use a soak."

Harry lifted her into his arms.

"As you wish."

"Are you going to tell me what you were doing today?" The sun was setting as they sat in the bathtub together. There were a couple of candles adding to the light from the window.

"No."

"Why not?"

"I'm still a little mad at you."

"About what?"

"You should have told me about all the contracts."

"I didn't want you to worry about it. Like I said, none of them matter."

"I still want to see them all."

"Okay. Why though?"

"So I can know all the girls that have them and know who to keep an eye on."

"Fine. Just so you know, I have no idea who a lot of the girls are."

"Harry, you're pretty anti-social. Other than Granger, Lovegood, the quidditch team, and the rest of the Gryffindors in our year, you don't really interact with anyone else."

"My social calendar is usually pretty full. I've got a lot of time booked to spend either with my girlfriend in bed, or in the bath, or curled up on the couch, or anywhere else that might strike our fancy.

"Beyond that, I try to keep Hermione from working herself to death, I spend time with Luna because she's a riot, and I play the odd quidditch match. Speaking of which, after next weekend, Wood won't be able to schedule any more practices."

"Yes, but you'll have to start studying for exams one of these days."

"Alright, Hermione," he teased.

"Don't you dare-"

"Then don't get on my case about exams. I'll do fine, and so will you."

She flicked his arm, but then settled back and they both relaxed in quiet for a few moments.

"Speaking of Hermione, I saw something interesting today."

"Oh?"

"Parvati and Lavender cornered her after we came in this afternoon. They were both annoyed with how Hermione seems to have an inside track on my affections. Parvati in particular. As you might have guessed, they both have betrothal offers in the stack."

"I'm not at all surprised."

"Yes, well the good news for me is that Hermione told them she wasn't interested in me like that. The bad news being that it seems she does have feelings for someone else. Which makes me worry that she still hasn't gotten over her crush on Ron, despite what a total bastard he has been. How many times does he have to make her cry before she realizes that arsehole is wrong for her?"

"I don't know Harry. We girls can be stubborn sometimes. Especially about who we have our hearts set on."

"I've noticed."

The sky had grown dark, and with just the candles flickering, Harry realized that he could easily take a nap. But he was pretty hungry too.

"We should get to dinner."

"If you insist."

"I'll need my strength to try to get back in your good graces this evening."

"Oh, and how do you plan on doing that?" she asked.

"You have your surprises, and I have mine."

Harry knew that Pansy had been hard at work on something that day. He guessed (correctly, he would later find out) that she might have been on her feet a lot.

Therefore, after dinner he gave her a foot massage.

Harry was honest when he had told her that he found every part of her sexy. So, rubbing his hands all over any inch of her skin he had access to always made him happy.

And Pansy enjoyed his ministrations too. Sometimes, even more than Harry did.

So, it was no surprise that this led to them ending up in bed.

Harry had been so thorough in pleasing Pansy that she even broke a taboo.

When she told him- no, when she demanded that he suck on her toes, they both ended up having overwhelming orgasms. They giggled about it afterwards.

Harry went to sleep that night very pleased that they had taken another step to putting that conflict behind them.

But Pansy still wouldn't tell him what she had done that day.

The next week passed by fairly quickly, especially with Wood being even more manic than usual about quidditch practice. With the decisive victories over Slytherin and Hufflepuff, the Gryffindors would have to completely blow it against Ravenclaw to lose the trophy that year. And the obsessive keeper was not going to let that happen.

Pansy was often smirking that week as Harry moaned and complained about all the extra time spent on the pitch. As much as he enjoyed the sport, Harry was starting to hate game plans and designed plays. How often did any of it even work? They were still in school, not professionals. Wood was nuts.

It did make him wonder a bit more about his old friendship with Ron. Ron was one of the few who was just as crazy about the sport as Wood. Maybe quidditch strategy mattered at the higher level, but at Hogwarts, some talent and a decent broom was really all it took.

Other than Wood, the rest of the team was in high spirits. They were good his first two years, but now, with Harry's Firebolt, they felt unstoppable. He hadn't lost a match yet, and they all believed that victory was assured.

Harry normally would have been in a good mood because of their faith in him.

Unfortunately, Ravenclaw was trying to use a secret weapon against him. All that week, their pretty little seeker, Cho Chang, was making eyes at him.

It normally wouldn't have bothered him, but he had been a bit more worried about how interested Lavender and especially Parvati were in him lately.

Plus, he was getting a bit cranky at Pansy's secret that she still was holding over his head. She was saving it as a reward for finishing the quidditch season with a win.

Once she saw the flirtations coming from Chang, Pansy told him that if he humiliated the Ravenclaw on the pitch, she would give him extra rewards for the rest of the year.

That Saturday, Pansy let him sleep in, and when Wood came knocking at the door, trying to wake Harry an hour before breakfast started, she told the obsessed team captain that Harry would be more likely to catch the snitch if he had plenty of sleep before hand and that they would see him at breakfast. Between the wand pointed in his face and her immediately slamming the door closed, he didn't get a chance to argue with her.

Harry giggled about this all the way down to breakfast. Wood was six feet tall and much more muscular than the average lazy wizard, and a little thing like Pansy had scared him off. She really was the best.

The rest of the team all relaxed when they saw Harry come into the Great Hall laughing.

Luna came over shortly thereafter, and a few people were sending her glares but Harry gave her a hug and made space for her to sit next to him.

"Who are you cheering for today, Luna?" Hermione asked. Although Harry knew she drove Hermione crazy at times, she usually tried to be at least polite to his odd little blonde friend.

"Oh, either way I'll be happy. I suppose I could hope that Harry catches the snitch but Ravenclaw wins. That would be a best of both worlds scenario, but really the sport itself isn't that important to me. I'd be more pleased if some other type of creature were to appear for the match. Sentient bludgers my first year and dementors this year- maybe next year a dragon could swoop down over the pitch?"

"Then Harry could introduce it to his Patronus," Pansy added with a smirk.

"Exactly," Luna agreed. "That would be quite the sight, although different types of dragon could react differently. Some are much more aggressive. It would be wonderful if it were a dragon from the Far East. They tend to contrast wildly from the European breeds."

"We could always ask Hagrid to let a hippogriff loose, although I think Harry prefers to ride his broom," Pansy suggested.

"Don't be jealous of Sheila," Harry joked. But Pansy's response of a raised eye brow made him think back to the last time she teased him about the broom and his pants suddenly felt much tighter.

"Anyway, I hope to disappoint you Luna. Gryffindor's going to sweep this year. Sorry," he added with a smile.

"That's alright. You can make it up to me by talking Hagrid into letting me ride a hippogriff."

"I suppose I could."

"Then I'll just cheer for Gryffindor. Hippogriffs are more important than quidditch."

"Harry might disagree with you," Pansy teased as Harry mocked an overly offended expression, "but you're welcome to sit with us, Luna."

"Thank you, Pansy. I shall, as I doubt many of the other Ravenclaws would understand."

"Well, now that that's decided, I need to finish eating so I'll have plenty of energy for the party this afternoon," Harry said as he proceeded to devour another sausage. He always ate more meat before a quidditch match. When Pansy mentioned noticing it and teased him about being more of a caveman, he threw her over his shoulder and dragged her off to bed.

Harry had to put such thoughts out of his head for now, though. He would need to stand up soon enough, for one thing, but he also had a quidditch match to win. Luna needed to ride a hippogriff, Harry needed to shag his girlfriend silly, and Pansy needed to finally tell him all about her secret project.

"That fucking bitch," Pansy growled as the match began.

"Who?" Parvati asked from her left.

"Chang, that little flirty cunt. Tossing her hair over her shoulder and fluttering her eyes at Harry. As if that's going to be enough to distract him."

Luna was sitting to Pansy's right. One of the nicest things about her joining Harry's circle of friends was that Pansy now had an excuse not to sit next to Granger. That Granger was often driven batty by her just made it that much more fun for Pansy.

"She is rather good looking," Luna said in an airy voice. "But I don't think she's Harry's type."

"Over protective much, Pansy?" Lavender snickered.

"I want what's best for Harry. Some cheap tart trying to make him lose at quidditch would not be good."

"Besides, she's competition," Parvati said. "Knock her off her broom, Harry!"

Lavender joined in, and soon there was a group of girls all yelling for Cho Chang to suffer terrible injuries. Although Luna seemed to be more interested in suggesting strange creatures that could harass her, Pansy appreciated the support. Like Granger, she hadn't shown any interest in Harry, but the fact that Luna approved of their relationship made Pansy secretly happy. She knew that whenever it did come out, there would be plenty of people much less understanding.

The girls all roared with delight when Harry faked Chang into a dive that led to her crashing into the ground about ten minutes into the match.

After another half an hour, Gryffindor was leading one hundred to twenty. Harry once again went into a dive, and Chang hesitated before trying to follow him. She took off just as she realized that Harry actually had seen the snitch this time, but it was all too late.

Gryffindor were the champions.

Pansy and her friends were jumping up and down, smiling and laughing when Harry looked over and saw them. Luna was hugging everyone and he could just make out her yelling about a hippogriff. Pansy didn't even flinch when Hermione hugged her during the celebration.

Seeing his favorite girls all so happy meant more to him than the rest of the team cheering as Fred and George carried him off on their shoulders.

The chasers all hugged and kissed him when they got back to the locker room. Harry played it off as if he didn't notice that Katie Bell tried to slip him some tongue.

The Weasley twins were even more enthusiastic as they smooched all over his face while saying in matching falsettos, "Oh, Harry!"

Wood was crying the whole time as he carried the trophy all the way back to the common room.

No one dared to say anything either when Harry pulled Luna into Gryffindor tower to join in the party. He promised to take her down to Hagrid's hut on Sunday.

For the next several hours, butterbeer and all sorts of sweets were in abundance as Gryffindor celebrated their first quidditch championship in several years.

About an hour in, Ron came over and congratulated Harry on a good game. They shook hands and Harry hoped that maybe, just maybe, his old friend might be coming around. Or at least he had developed enough good sense to not ruin things at a quidditch celebration.

Harry gave a toast to Oliver Wood, his captain, the guy who had taught him how to play the sport. If anyone at Hogwarts deserved to become a professional quidditch player, it was him. Not only was he the most skilled keeper at the school, but he was also willing to put in the work needed to train and improve so that he could become the best.

The occasional ill will he felt after the grueling and abundant practices was much subdued by the fact that Harry wouldn't have another one for at least five months. And with any luck, next year's captain would be more reasonable. He assumed it would be Angelina or Alicia, as they were senior over Katie, and no one in their right mind would put Fred or George in charge.

He supposed it wasn't completely out of the realm of possibility that he could be named captain, but he didn't really want the responsibility. For one thing, he knew that he wouldn't schedule very many practices at all, so much so that the rest of the team might actually complain.

As a seeker, there wasn't really much for him to practice- looking for a small target, flying fast, and grabbing it. Simple.

The chasers and keeper probably needed to practice the most. Therefore, it would make sense for one of those positions to be a captain. The seeker was a loner that didn't have all that much interaction with the rest of the team usually.

He thought of all that while walking back from escorting Luna to the Ravenclaw tower. She had enjoyed the party, but after a few hours, she felt the need to go back to her dorm. Unlike Harry, she put a fair amount of effort into all her work. That meant that she teamed up with Pansy sometimes to nag him. But Harry was far too stubborn to believe that there would ever come a time when writing fourteen inches for Herbology really mattered that much when he could write eight and still get a passing grade. Seriously, fuck plants.

When he returned, the party was winding down a bit and Harry noticed that Pansy had apparently retired for the evening. He faked a yawn so that he could join her, and they were soon entwined in bed, ending the day with a bang.

Before he let himself drift off to sleep, Harry sat up in bed.

"Are you finally going to tell me about your secret project?" he asked.

She looked up at him with a gleam in her eyes.

"Nope," she said with a smile. Before he could start pouting, Pansy sat up as well. The fact that she was topless immediately improved his mood, and she giggled as his eyes wandered south as usual.

"You're so easy, Harry. Look up, my love." Once he forced himself to stop staring, Pansy smiled at him. "Grab your wand. I'm going to show you."

"Huh? Oh, right." Harry reached over to the nightstand to find his wand. "Ready?"

"Yes."

"Legilimens!"

The path lay open before him, and Harry saw Pansy's shimmering translucent form leading him.

He stepped into the second bedroom, and saw the runic circle drawn on the floor. He watched her as she was speaking to Dobby, then sliding the Potter ring onto her finger. Harry smiled noticing that it was her ring finger. Then the glow of the ring as she sprinkled a few drops of his blood onto a bone and began to chant.

The light of the ring was darker than the last time he had seen it.

There was a tingling in the air that he could somehow feel as the magic grew from the bone, forming another, then another. Several minutes passed while Pansy continued to chant until an entire skeleton filled the circle.

Almost immediately, Pansy wavered and Harry held his breath until Dobby caught her as she passed out.

It was a different night now. Pansy was getting up from bed. He saw her kiss his forehead before she left the room. Once again, she led him into the spare bedroom.

Dobby joined her and Harry noticed piles of her clothes spread out on the bed.

Dobby soon had her trunk floating. He grabbed the handle with one of his hands and Pansy's hand with his other. Harry instinctively grabbed her other hand, and there was a louder than usual pop as they disappeared.

Harry blinked his eyes, then immediately realized where he was. He had spent so many days toiling away in this yard. Sure enough, the hated house on Privet Drive was behind him, but he turned back to see what Pansy and Dobby were doing.

Pansy took something out of a purse that he hadn't noticed slung over one shoulder before. Her body disappeared for a second before becoming ethereal, almost like a ghost. Harry realized she must have put on the invisibility cloak. He wondered at how he could still see her, but he assumed it had to do with this being her mind and how she wanted him to know where she was and what she was doing.

Dobby quietly used his magic to unlock the back door, and Pansy waited a moment before following him inside.

Harry traveled through the house and came across Pansy watching as Dobby put each of the Dursleys deeper to sleep. Even Marge and her awful little terror of a dog were there.

Pansy removed a vial of blood from her purse. His blood, he realized. She carefully placed a drop on each hand of the Dursleys.

Pansy and Dobby then returned to the back yard.

Dobby's magic was once again used as he dug a large hole in the ground while Pansy opened her trunk and began pulling the skeleton out. She spread the bones out on the ground. Harry noticed for the first time that many of the bones were damaged. For instance, the left arm was badly fractured.

He gasped as he realized that it was the exact same place where Vernon had once broken his arm four years ago.

Pansy was whispering, instructing Dobby, about how to place the body so that the bones would be in the right general shape but not laid out too precisely. Dobby floated the skeleton into the shallow grave.

Pansy then leaned over and sprinkled several more drops of blood over it. Bits of decayed flesh and organs took shape in a rather disgusting form of reverse decay. Harry felt nauseous just watching it and was impressed with Pansy's fierce, determined expression. He imagined it must have smelled absolutely terrible.

Dobby then covered the corpse with dirt.

Pansy slipped back into the house and he once again followed her. His phantom steps faltered when he saw her stopping at the cupboard under the stairs.

His cupboard.

Her hands were shaking as she opened the door. He looked at her face and saw silent tears streaming down. She clenched and unclenched her fists several times. Harry almost thought he could hear her heartbeat pounding in her chest. Or was that his own? She was trying to take deep breaths to calm herself but clearly wasn't having much luck.

Dobby popped in right behind them and raised both hands. Harry couldn't tell what he was doing, but there was a deep hum of magic that he could feel vibrating the air as it surrounded them.

Pansy let loose a terrible, pained scream.

There was a flash of an image. Her father standing over her, casting the Cruciatus on her. He felt her pain. It was like every inch of his body was being cut open, with salt rubbed into the wounds.

Harry fell to his knees, just as he realized Pansy had also fallen to her knees. She was clenching her hands again, and he looked down at them. There was a bit of blood seeping out of her palms from where her nails had dug in so deeply.

She forced herself to stand and then once again retrieved the vial of blood. There was maybe a quarter of it left. Pansy sprinkled it all around the dark cramped little room.

She stopped herself with only a few drops at most left.

She staggered backwards and Dobby softly took the vial from her and put the stopper back in. He waved his hands over hers and the cuts on her palms healed.

Pansy exhaled and thanked the elf. She led him once again to the backyard. They took hold of the trunk and each other, then vanished.

Dobby handed Pansy a potion when they returned to Hogwarts. She swallowed it just before climbing back into bed.

She was asleep in seconds.

It was the next morning, and this part he remembered. A kiss for luck before she left.

Pansy dug some coins out of his trunk. Muggle coins. She once again had that same purse slung over her shoulder. Dobby stepped close to her as Pansy covered them both with the invisibility cloak.

They vanished.

This time, they were in a different part of his old neighborhood. Making sure they were alone, Pansy slipped out from under the cloak and stepped into a telephone box.

"Hello, is this the police? Please help."

The voice on the other end of the line was muffled.

"I'm trying to report my missing friend again. His name is Harry. I've tried before but somehow no one ever does anything. His family lives at number four Privet Drive. They're called the Dursleys. I know they've hurt him in the past. But two summers ago, he disappeared. The last time I tried to see him, they had put bars on the windows of one of the bedrooms. They claimed he wasn't home.

"He supposedly was sent to some far off boarding school, but they've never said where it was, and I don't believe them. But even if it were true, he never came home last summer. I'm afraid they might have killed him.

"Please, you have to believe me. Harry was my best friend, and now he's gone. You can't let them get away with this. Ask them about the cupboard under the stairs. That's where they made him sleep when he was young.

"They've told all sorts of lies about him when we were growing up. They made out like he was some sort of hooligan, but Harry never hurt anyone. Their son, Dudley, he's the local bully. But the Dursleys blamed everything on Harry. As if the boy who was a third the size of their whale of a son would be the one picking on other kids. Only toddlers were smaller than Harry. I'm pretty sure they never fed him much either as he was always the smallest boy in our class."

The voice on the other end confirmed the address of the Dursleys.

"Please. Please, find Harry. Find out what those monsters did to him."

Pansy hung up, looked around the empty street and nodded. The invisibility cloak was thrown over her and there was another pop.

This time they were back at Privet Drive. Pansy stepped over to a spot in the yard that Harry now knew was a shallow grave. She let a single drop of blood fall.

Dobby snapped his fingers multiple times and they were once again sneaking in through the back door. The awful family were sitting around the living room watching television. Another snap of his fingers and Marge Dursley and her awful dog Ripper both nodded off for a few seconds. Pansy leaned over and sprinkled the last drops of blood on the dog's face.

A minute later, Pansy and Dobby were across the street, still under the invisibility cloak. They found a nice shady spot and waited.

The scene flashed briefly, and the waiting came to an end. A police car pulled up in front of the Dursleys. A wicked grin crossed Pansy's face.

They quickly crossed the street just after the police went inside. They once again stealthily moved into the backyard and the plan came to fruition. The Dursleys had been sitting down to eat an enormous lunch and Ripper, the nasty little beast that used to bite his ankles and chase him up trees, had been let loose.

It was digging in just the right spot.

As the police were questioning Vernon, who was turning purple and making excuses for why his 'no good freak of a nephew' had not been seen in nearly two years, Ripper hit pay dirt.

The dog had found his bone.

The police saw the upturned dirt and the small dog traipsing back to the house with what was clearly part of a human arm in between its teeth.

The rest of the afternoon would become legendary in Little Whinging.

Pansy and Dobby spent much of the day watching the fallout. They had to be careful to stay out of the way as several cars full of police invaded the neighborhood. Forensics was called in, and not only was the corpse of what appeared to be Harry Potter found but also many old blood stains covering the walls and floor of the cupboard under the stairs.

Dobby disguised Pansy multiple times and she kept appearing as random bystanders helping to spread the gossip, which for once was surprisingly accurate.

Before the day was through, everyone would know the violence and evil lurking under the supposedly normal facade the Dursleys had tried so hard to maintain.

But maybe the best thing was how each of the Dursleys felt compelled to admit to so much abuse they had inflicted on Harry.

They all had his blood on their hands, after all. Pansy had made sure of it.

However, despite everything they would admit, all of them claimed that Harry had been alive and they had no idea what had happened to him or how his dead body had come to be buried in their backyard.

The evidence was massively against them though.

And soon enough, each individual Dursley was shoved into the back of a police car and taken away for further questioning.

Harry's eyes were blinking and he saw Pansy staring at him. She had tear stains running down the sides of her face, and Harry felt his own that mirrored hers.

Her lips crashed into his and their tongues began wrestling with each other. Their arms were clasping their bodies together far too tightly to be comfortable. It was a moment more of desperation than passion.

Pansy pulled back first, and they were both panting for breath. He reached up to wipe her cheeks, but Pansy grabbed his hand and just held it against her face.

"I love you," was all he could manage. What she had done for him was far beyond words.

Pansy smiled back at him but did not let go of his hand.

"You saved me from my father, and then you made him pay for all he had done. You need to know that you mean just as much to me. So, I made sure those fucking monsters would rot for hurting you.

"You are my love, Harry. Anyone that tries to hurt you will have to go through me. Anyone that has hurt you will suffer my vengeance.

"And if I ever get my hands on Sirius Black, he will beg for death before I am done with him."